shaxper
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Posts: 22,391
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Post by shaxper on Jan 29, 2017 0:40:09 GMT -5
I was reading Savage Sword of Conan #12 tonight when I found an ad towards the back for Marvel-Con 1976. I have to admit that I had no idea Marvel had ever thrown its own comic convention. According to the ad, this was the second annual convention, admission was free, and John Buscema and Roy Thomas were offering free classes on art and writing respectively. A quick google search has yielded a wealth of information, including the complete program guide, some personal recollections, and even a few videos of the event. As this is totally new to me, I'm first interested in whether anyone here ever attended any of these, and second interested in knowing why Marvel offered these conventions, free of charge. Seems like an awfully expensive way to promote the brand. |
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Post by Rob Allen on Jan 29, 2017 2:10:44 GMT -5
I was there. I went to both Marvel cons, the annual Phil Seuling Comic Art Cons (which were San Diego before San Diego became San Diego), and most of the Creation Cons in NYC. These cons had started with gatherings of a few dozen fans in the mid-60s, and by 1974 they were enormous. Marvel noticed and decided to jump on the trend, just like Martin Goodman used to do.
I don't remember if it was at Marvel Con 1 or 2 that they announced Kirby's return. That was an electrifying moment. The con program advertised a "Keynote Address" (I think it was) by Stan Lee, so the room was packed with True Believers Facing Front, I among them. Then there was a series of waves of sound thru the room, getting louder and louder as each new bit of news traveled from one end of the room to the other.
"Stan's here! He's right outside the room!"
"Stan has someone with him. Who is that with Stan?"
"It's Kirby!! He's here! Kirby is here!!!"
"HE'S COMING BACK! KIRBY IS COMING BACK TO MARVEL! HE'S COMING BACK! HE'S COMING BACK! HE'S COMING BACK! HE'S COMING BAAAaaa......" *faints*
Like I said, electrifying. But probably the high point of Kirby's 70s stint at Marvel.
The next day, they corralled Kirby to be one of the judges in the costume contest. The third contestant had a Thing costume. He ignored the crowd and made a beeline to Kirby to shake his hand. Every camera in the place took a picture; you could've seen the flashbulbs from space. I didn't have a camera.
I found out later that that con included the first face-to-face meeting between Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott. They had done all of that fantastic work in the 60s without ever meeting.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jan 29, 2017 5:39:49 GMT -5
From 1974 to the fall of 1976 I had sold off my first collection and was not following the comic book industry. So unfortunately I missed both Marvel Cons. Went to plenty of Manhattan conventions before and after those years, so anyone who appeared at the Marvel Cons I got to see earlier or later. So it goes
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,391
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Post by shaxper on Jan 29, 2017 7:53:18 GMT -5
the annual Phil Seuling Comic Art Cons (which were San Diego before San Diego became San Diego), I did not know this! Never heard of this one. Right, but, with free admission, what was their aim? Did they really do all this as a publicity stunt? I mean the cost and labor involved must have been monumental. It's in the program guide for 2, so I don't know if that means it was announced at 2 or if it was 1 because (as you said) the announcement came as a surprise. Wow. You made me feel like I was there. Thank you for that! |
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Post by Red Oak Kid on Jan 29, 2017 9:42:30 GMT -5
There were also some ads in Marvel comics announcing the John Buscema School for aspiring comic book artists. I assume his art lessons at the con may have led to the school or maybe he was promoting his school at the Marvel Con.
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Post by MDG on Jan 30, 2017 6:40:12 GMT -5
In the mid-70s, when Creation started getting 2-3,000 people at their conventions, others tried to organize them, but I think most, like the EC Fan-Addict Con and the Famous Monsters Con, only happened once.
The National Cartoonists Society had a fan convention that was largely a bust and a real disappointment to the organizers, who didn't seem to understand that most comic book fans didn't care about strips. I don't think they got more than 200 people (if they got over 100). I went.
Guests included Will Eisner, Burne Hogarth, Mort Walker, Roy Crane, Joe Kubert, Leonard Starr.
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Post by Rob Allen on Jan 30, 2017 16:20:46 GMT -5
the annual Phil Seuling Comic Art Cons (which were San Diego before San Diego became San Diego), I did not know this! "The first large-scale comics convention, and one of the largest gatherings of its kind until the Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, it grew into a major trade and fan convention. [...] The Comic Art Conventions provided the primary nexus for fans and the largely New York City-based industry during the Silver Age and the Bronze Age of comic books. As well, many of the Golden Age creators were still alive and in attendance at panels and for interviews, which helped lay the groundwork for the medium's historical scholarship." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creation_Entertainment"The first Creation comic book convention was held on November 26–28, 1971, at the New Yorker Hotel, New York City,[11][12] produced by 14-year-old Queens schoolboys Adam Malin and Gary Berman.[13] The official guest was star comics creator Jim Steranko.[14] Creation Con II took place at the Statler Hilton Hotel in New York City on November 24–26, 1972. The guests of honor were Philip José Farmer and Frank Kelly Freas. Other guests included Vaughn Bodé,[15] Jim Steranko, Gray Morrow, Michael Kaluta, Neal Adams, Howard Chaykin, John Severin, Frank Brunner, Isaac Asimov, Ron Goulart, Roy Krenkel, and Hans Stefan Santesson.[16] From that point, Creation Entertainment continued producing large annual conventions in New York City (under such colorful names as "Big Comicon Creation Convention," "Creation Comic Book & Pop Culture Convention," and "Creation '78"), usually taking place over the weekend following Thanksgiving.[17] A popular venue for the Thanksgiving cons was the Statler Hilton Hotel.[6] In the mid-1970s, attendance at the New York Creation conventions averaged around 5,000 fans; the admission was around $5/day." I didn't remember that it was free. I think it really was a publicity stunt, or maybe they thought they could make money selling stuff to the fans. It took a lot of labor, but the venue was probably inexpensive - in the mid-70s, midtown Manhattan had a reputation as seedy and dangerous. Hotel space was available cheap. |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jan 30, 2017 19:43:36 GMT -5
I'm sure I went to more Creation Cons than any other in the New York area. Which would make sense sense they probably put on more shows. For a few years in the late 70's/early 80's due to their popularity, they had monthly mini-con events. One day only, mainly a large dealer room, every month. It's where I really built up my back-issue collection
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Post by Rob Allen on Jan 30, 2017 20:33:36 GMT -5
Seuling had similar monthly mini-cons in the early-to-mid 70s. They were called "Second Sunday".
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jan 30, 2017 20:48:10 GMT -5
Seuling had similar monthly mini-cons in the early-to-mid 70s. They were called "Second Sunday". Maybe that's the ones I'm thinking of and got the host mixed up |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2017 22:37:34 GMT -5
I went to the Comic Art Con in Phila from 1977-79.
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Post by hondobrode on Feb 17, 2017 23:08:22 GMT -5
One of my first Superhero Merchandise orders from the late 70's included a leftover poster of the first Marvel Con. It was by Big John Buscema and I hung it in my clubhouse. Bronze Age gold  Bronze age Marvel : Captain Mar-Vell, Werewolf By Night, Man-Thing, Conan, Captain America, Ghost Rider, the Hulk, Shang-Chi Master of Kung Fu, Tomb of Dracula, Dr Doom, Ka-Zar and Zabu, Black Panther, the Fantastic Four, Scarlet Witch, Luke Cage Power Man, Sub-Mariner, Frankenstein's Monster, Spider-Man, Dr Strange, Two-Gun Kid, the Vision, Doc Savage, Thor, Iron Man, Silver Surfer, Daredevil, Sgt Fury Notice the characters that existed but not featured here as they weren't hot : the X-Men (just resurrected from cancellation), the Inhumans, Guardians of the Galaxy, Valkyrie, Black Widow, Howard the Duck, Black Knight, the Punisher, Wolverine, Groot, Iron Fist, Hawkeye, Ant-Man (oh wait I think I see him...), Planet of the Apes, Blade |
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Post by berkley on Feb 17, 2017 23:35:35 GMT -5
I've always liked that John Buscema poster but it just struck me that there's only two female characters represented on there, the Scarlet Witch and the <ahem> Invisible Woman ...
Did he ever do one that focused more on characters he worked on for substantial runs - like all the Avengers, for example?
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Post by hondobrode on Feb 18, 2017 13:53:24 GMT -5
I don't know.
Yes, I took was struck by the lack of female diversity, but that was 40 years ago.
I thought you in particular would like this piece berkley
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Post by Cei-U! on Feb 19, 2017 12:12:01 GMT -5
That's either Kid Colt or the Rawhide Kid in that poster, not the masked Two-Gun.
I actually used a tiny image of this poster from an ad to create a full size (10 x 15") poster for my bedroom. It's long since disintegrated, which is just as well as my artwork in the mid-70s was awful.
Cei-U!
I summon the learning curve!
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